This invention relates to a storage organizer, and particularly relates to a storage organizer associated with computers and computer peripherals, and having a plurality of compartments for storing a variety of computer-related accessories.
In recent years, the popularity and demand for personal computers has been increasing at a significantly high rate. Such demand stems from many segments of society including, for example, the workplace, schools and the home. This popularity, in effect, has resulted in the development of many accessories for use with the computer and the peripherals. Examples of such accessories include cables, plugs, diskettes, compact disks, optical disks, high-storage disks, manuals, documents, special mechanical tools, special cleaning products, writing instruments, stationery, paper clips, binder clips, and the like.
Various types of storage facilities are available to store, in an organized fashion, some of the above-noted accessories. Typically, however, each such facility provides storage for only a few of the accessories, and requires a dedicated space on a desk top or adjacent planar, and typically horizontal, surface. Where several such storage facilities are used to organize and store accessories, the desk top or area surrounding the computer and related peripherals becomes cluttered because of the demand for the dedicated spaces.
A workplace organizer for storing a few of the accessories is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,598,921, which issued on Feb. 4, 1997. The workplace organizer, which can be secured by screws to a keyboard shelf, is typically located slidably below a desk countertop, or to any nearby baseplane. The organizer includes sections for storage of diskettes, a pad of note paper, paper clips, business cards, pens and pencils. An organizer of this type requires a dedicated space for securance thereof to the keyboard shelf or desk countertop, while providing storage for a limited number of accessories.
A storage caddy for storing magnetic tape cassettes is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,717,188, which issued on Feb. 20, 1973. In particular, the storage caddy includes a plurality of pockets attached to a backing and arranged in a vertical stack. A bottom portion of each pocket, except for the lowermost pocket, is located within the top of an opening of the immediately subjacent pocket. One of the cassettes is placed into each pocket, with the top of the cassette being canted outward from the backing. A removable flap provides a cover for all of the stored cassettes, while removable straps can be used to connect a pair of such storage caddies for use as a saddle bag.
The storage caddy described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,717,188 does not provide facility for storing the various types of accessories noted above, and is not configured for locating the caddy in a confined space adjacent a computer or peripherals thereof.
Frequently, accessories are stored in cabinets or storage closets at locations spaced considerably from the site of the computer, the related peripherals and the operator thereof. An inefficient, time-consuming and thought-interrupting trip by the operator is required to retrieve such distant accessories.
While many operators of computers and peripherals use various types of the above-noted storage facilities, still others do not use any storage facilities, which results in a cluttered and inefficient environment adjacent the computer and the peripherals.
Thus, there is a serious need for a storage organizer which uses very little space, which provides organized storage for a wide range of accessories within a small area and which facilitates the locating of the accessories for efficient and ready access by the operator.